Barrel or keg counter



Patented Nov. 22,1892.

(No Model.) 7 Y J.. OSTERTAG, Jr.

BARREL AND KEG GOUNTER.

\MTr 11:25:: T? a? g $9 k 3 w.) M m L3 1 A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN OSTERTAG, JR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BARREL OR KEG COUNTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,735, dated November 22, 1892.

Application filed May 4, 1891. Serial No. 391.565. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN OSTERTAG, J R., a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Barrel or Keg Counters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the ac companying drawing.

This invention relates to a novel device for registering the number of barrels that are loaded into wagons or otherwise taken from a storage-room for such barrels.

The objects of this invention are to provide a device of this character that is arranged to register a barrel by reason of its size and to provide a device of simple,'durable, and efficient construction.

The invention consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described,and pointed out in the appended claims.

The accompanying drawing is a view of my invention, partly in vertical longitudinal section and in side elevation.

Referring to said drawing, I have shown an inclined track A leading from the storageroom of a brewery, for instance, to any suitable location Where a wagon may stand or be located.

B indicates the outer wall of the building, and 0 indicates an inner Wall for inclosing the barrel-counting devices to be described. Openings 1 and 2 are made in said walls for the passage of the barrels, and the track A passes through said openings. The compartment D, within which the barrel counting devices are located, can have side walls 3 and 4. For convenience of illustration I have shown my device arranged for registering four styles of barrels-namely, a barrel, a half-barrel, a quarter barrel, and an eighth barrelalthough it will be understood that it can be arranged to register other sizes without departing from my invention.

In accordance with my invention I arrange four movable rods 5, 6, 7, and 8, supported at their rear ends by a plate 9. The said rods are held at their rearward limits by means of any suitable construction, which shows the number of barrels of different sizes that pass through said compartment D. The rear ends of said rods are arranged in vertical alignment and equidistant to be operated upon by the devices that are actuated by the passage of the barrels. Said devices comprise, broadly, a movable frame E, pivoted at its upper end by means ofa bar 11, supported between the side walls 3 and 4 and located over the track. At its other end this said frame E carries a pivoted arm 12, that is connected with a detent 13 by a rod 18, said'hammer being pivoted between standards 14, mounted upon said movable frame E. The end of the hammer 13 is located in the rear of the ends of the rods and registers with one of said rods in correspondence with the height to which the frame E is lifted by a passing barrel, and as said barrel strikes the arm 12 said arm will operate the hammer 13, thereby giving an impulse to one of the said rods and operating the register. I have shown the frame E in two different positions, the one in full lines showing it during the passage of an eighth-barrel and the other showing it during the passage of a barrel. In the latter it will be noticed that the end of the hammer stands opposite the end of the upper rod 5, and it is raised to this position by the said barrel before the latter acts upon the arm 12. A counterbalance-weight 15 is connected by means of a cable 16,passing over pulleys 17, with the standards 14. and takes part of the weight of the frame E. It will be noticed that the frame E stands in a downwardly-inclined position over the trackAand that the barrels passing along said track strike the lower edge of said frame, and to cushion the shock or impact of said barrels the lower edges of said frame are provided With rails 19 and springs 20, interposed between said rails and the frame.

A pivoted stop F is mounted upon a shaft 25, located between the tracks A. The said stop is provided with a long arm 26 and a short arm 27, and the said long arm extends in the direction of the passage of the said barrels and is held in an upwardly-inclined position in the path of said barrels by springs 28. It will be seen that the passage of a barrel will depress the arm 26 and thereby lift the arm 27, preventing the passage of another ICO barrel until the said arm 27 is depressed. When the arm 26 is depressed, it is engaged by a latch 29, supported upon a cross-piece 30 and connected by means of a rod with the pivoted contact-arms 31, located in the path of the barrel and arranged that the latch will be retracted to permit arm 27 of the stop to rise after the barrel has operated the barrelcounting devices. The said contact-arms 31 are located a little in advance of contact-arms 32, that are connected by means of a rod 34 with one arm 35 of a bell-crank lever, whose other arm 36 is secured to a cross-piece 37 on the arm 27 of the stop F. The contact-arms 32 are also located in the path of the barrels, so that the passage of a barrel will first retract the latch and then swing the stop on its pivot to depress the short arm 27 through the 1ntermediacy of the connections described.

It will be obvious that when the short arm 27 of the stop F is elevated and a barrel is resting against the same considerable force will be required to depress said arm, and to reduce the force required for this purpose the end of said arm 27 is pivoted with frictionrollers 35.

It is manifest that various mechanical changes can be made in the construction of my Invention, and it will be understood that I d0 not limit myself to the specific constructron herein shown and described, as the same can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim as my invention 1. A barrel'counter comprising a trackway along which the barrels are adapted to roll, a movable frame located over and between the ends of said trackway and in the path of the barrel and adapted to be moved by the passage of the barrel, a pivot-arm upon said movable frame, located also in the path of the barrel, and a register adapted to be operated by the movement of said pivot-arm.

2. A barrel-counter comprising a movable frame located over the trackway for the barrels, a hammer carried by said movable frame, a pivoted arm mounted upon said movable frame and connected with said hammer, and a register adapted to be operated by said hammer.

3. A barrel-counter comprising a movable frame located over the trackway for the barrels, a hammer mounted upon said frame, adapted to be operated by a passing barrel, and a series of rods for operating a register, located in position to be engaged by said hammer.

l. A barrel comprising a movable frame located over the trackway for the barrels, a hammer upon said frame, connected with a pivoted arm mounted upon said frame and located in the path of the barrels, and a series of rods for operating a register,located in position to be engaged by said hammer.

5. A barrelcounter comprising a movable frame located over the'v'ackway for the barrels and provided with devices for operating a register, rails secured to the lower face of said frame, and springs interposed between said frame and rails.

6. The combination, substantially as herein set forth, of a pivoted stop located in the track Way of a barrel-counter and comprising two arms 26 and 27, the arm 26 being normally located in the path of the barrels, a latch for holding said arm 26 depressed, and devices for unlatching and elevating said arm.

7. The combination, substantially as herein set forth, of a pivoted stop located in the trackway of a barrel-counter and comprising two arms 26 and 27, the arm 26 being normally located in the path of the barrels, a latch for holding said arm depressed, a contact-arm located in the path of the barrels for unlatching said arm 26, and another contactarm connected with said stop and located in the path of the barrels and adapted to elevate said arm 26.

8. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a pivoted stop located in the trackway of a barrel-counter and comprising two arms 26 and 27, the arm 26 being normally located in the path of the barrels, a latch for holding said arm 26 depressed, a contact-arm located in the path of the barrels, a latch for unlatching said arm 26, and devices for elevating said arm 26.

9. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a pivoted stop located in the trackway of a barrel-counter and comprising two arms 26 and 27, the arm 26 being normally located in the path of the barrels,a latch for holding said arm 26 depressed, devices for unlatching said arm 26, and a contact-arm located in the path of the barrels and adapted to elevate said arm 26.

10. The combination, substantially as here in set forth, of a pivoted stop located in the trackway of a barrel-counter and comprising two angularly-arranged arms 26 and 27 and a spring arranged to hold said arm 26 normally in the path of the barrels.

In testimony whereof I atfix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN OSTERTAG, JR.

lVitnesses:

HARRY COBB KENNEDY, PAUL OSTERTAG. 

